OTA Talks Trucking at Focus Group Meeting on Gordie Howe Bridge

OTA recently took part in a Canadian focus group meeting held by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) in Windsor regarding the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The meeting was attended by a cross-section of industry stakeholders including business, environment, tourism, trade and transportation sectors.

During the meeting, OTA expressed the trucking industry’s interest in bridge design and construction. OTA highlighted the need for the bridge to accommodate multi-vehicle configurations such as oversize loads, Long Combination vehicles (LCV’s), the need for adequate truck parking and staffing to meet demand at the bridge.

“Construction of the new bridge brings heightened expectations from all users, but particularly for trucking,” says OTA’s Lak Shoan. “Being one of the busiest trade corridors in North America, there will be expectations of increased resources at the bridge’s disposal, and the use of cutting edge technologies to ensure the efficient flow of commercial traffic between Windsor and Detroit.”

The WDBA told the gathering of stakeholders that despite the arrival of the Trump administration south of the border, it was still “business as usual” on the project and confirmed there are no expected changes to any project schedules.

OTA staff will continue to take part in stakeholder and focus group meetings regarding bridge construction. Members who would like to submit feedback to OTA regarding the project can send comments to otacustoms@ontruck.org.